


Et in Arcadia Ego

by pixie_rings



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Altea still exists, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Fluff, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, seriously this is tooth-rottingly sappy, vague hints of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 06:22:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14949275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings
Summary: Shiro goes with Allura to Altea, mostly to meet the in-laws.





	Et in Arcadia Ego

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Braincoins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Braincoins/gifts).



> AAAAA
> 
> This is a birthday fic for the amazing Braincoins/Socks, who is wonderful and a joy to be friends with. I worked with our friend the adorable [Yliseryn](http://yliseryn.tumblr.com/), who did some absolutely wonderful art to go with this fic.
> 
> Happy Birthday, Socks!

If it hadn’t been sinking in before, that he was dating an actual, honest-to-God, not-of-this-planet _alien_ , it definitely was now. Shiro stood, awestruck, at the viewscreen of the _Crown of Stars_ , taking in the immensity that was planet Altea. He’d seen Earth from space, and that never ceased to amaze him, and hell, he’d even seen Mars and Kerberos close-up, but this… this was a completely alien world, beyond the Solar System and everything humanity already knew. This gigantic, cloud-strewn sphere was entirely _new_ and entirely untouched by mankind, and here he was, the first to set eyes on it.

A pair of slender arms wound round his own, a head resting on his shoulder. “Welcome to Altea, Takashi Shirogane,” said Allura, princess of the planet before them, her voice full of warmth. He blinked rapidly, surprised to find himself on the verge of tears, and looked at her. She was lit up by her smile, and looking at him with eyes like a tropical ocean that made his heart pound.

“It’s breath-taking,” he said, and he didn’t know whether he was talking about the planet or about her.

She giggled, a sound that made Shiro’s spine tingle pleasantly. “You don’t know how happy I am to share it with you,” she said, giving his arm a happy squeeze. Oh, he knew. He knew, because it was exactly how he’d felt taking her to see Japan, to see the rest of America, to just enjoy what Earth had to offer, together. Showing her his home, both personal and planetary, seeing her wonder, how much his family and friends adored her… it had been amazing. He knew exactly how she felt. It was the most precious gift she could give, to welcome him into her life, and she’d already given him so much.

When they’d first met, his brain was on the mend, but he’d assumed his body was never going to be whole again. They’d taken his arm, and that was that: the life of a disabled veteran with PTSD was the only thing on the cards for him, and he’d resigned himself to it. And then she’d walked in, full of grace and beauty in a way he’d never seen in anyone before, asked him some questions, which he’d answered like a tongue-tied schoolboy. He’d thought, after her proposal, he’d never see her again. He'd been utterly wrong, however, and slowly, steadily, as he grew used to the prosthetic she’d so generously given him, they’d grown closer, closer, until he wasn’t sure where he ended and she began anymore. More often than not, he wondered what she saw in him, but it had been a year and she wasn’t going anywhere – well, she _was_ , but he was going with her, so that wasn’t a problem. It was like his wildest childhood dream and a completely unexpected happy ending had rolled themselves all into one in some bizarre stroke of unfathomable luck.

He looked back at her, unable to stop smiling, she reached up to kiss him with a smile of her own, and there was something there, a frisson, a flicker of something like electricity crackling along his veins, but softer, more loving. He had no idea what it was, but he loved it.

* * *

The _Crown of Stars_ practically slid through the Altean atmosphere, emerging on the other side with nothing but the gentlest of quakes to show for it.

“Heading to the location of the Castle of Lions,” said Lieutenant Vrixom. Allura stepped up to the dais, pulling up a monitor screen, and the main viewscreen erupted into green, a sea of trees below them. As they flew, the trees gave way to an immense lake, bigger than any Shiro had seen on Earth. In the centre of the lake, joined to the land by a long white walkway, were three concentric circles that made up a huge city, a myriad of greens mirrored in the dazzling blue of the lake and contrasted by the clean white Shiro had come to realise the Alteans liked a lot. There were bridges between the circles, all different colours and crystalline in appearance, and on the highest point sat a five-spired castle.

“Suravinila, the Western Capital,” Allura said. “I’m glad we’re still here, it’s lovely at this time of year. Are we in time for the _Liritani_?”

Lieutenant Vrixom pulled up his own monitor, apparently checking the calendar. “Three days’ time, Princess,” he said, and she clapped her hands in delight.

“What’s _Liritani_?” Shiro asked.

“You’ll see!” she chirped, practically buzzing by his side.

The ship grew ever-closer to its destination, details of the city coming in view, individual, elegant buildings and the abundance of trees and fountains within the city’s patchwork of streets. It was beautiful, almost romantic, like an alien Venice. The ship began to descend, swooping around the edge of the city to a large platform, closer to shore, joined to the rest of the city by another long walkway. It was there that they landed, smoother than anything Shiro had ever done himself (and he prided himself on being one of the Garrison’s best). Allura straightened her skirt, adjusting her hair and sleeves fastidiously.

“How do I look?” she asked. Shiro chuckled.

“Lovely, as always,” he said. She arched her eyebrows.

“You’re no help at all,” she said.

“I’m biased, I know.”

She laughed at that, and took his hand, leading him to where the ship’s doors had opened and its gangway had been lowered. Ignoring any protocol, she dragged him after her into the light.

“Wait,” he murmured. She paused, looking behind her.

They were at the bottom of the gangway, where the metal met the surface. Slowly he raised his foot, hands trembling ever-so-slightly, and placed it down on the stone of the platform. He let out a long breath, staring at the ground. _One small step for a man,_ he thought, and then raised his head to look at a slightly puzzled Allura. He grinned.

“I’m the first human to set foot on a planet outside our Solar System,” he said, and her confusion melted away to delight.

“You’re a pioneer, Shiro!” she said. She turned to him fully, taking both his hands, and gently pulled him forward. He followed, both feet now firmly on the Altean surface. He couldn’t feel anything through his boots, not physically, but it _felt_ different. He took a deep breath of Altean air, allowed himself to feel the warmth of the Altean sun. And within… within there was something else, something warm and loving and powerful, flowing with the oxygen in his blood. He looked up again, at Allura, at her encouraging smile, and stepped closer to her, raising her hands and kissing her fingers.

“This is incredible,” he said, and she reached up again, kissed him again, and it made his head spin a little.

“Come on, you have to meet Father!” she said.

* * *

Seeing Shiro’s wonder was a wonder in and of itself. Allura watched him watch Altea, glued to the window of the speeder her father had so kindly sent to fetch them. She’d instructed the driver to take a more scenic route, just to see Shiro’s reactions, and by the Ancients, was it worth it. Allura had always thought that trauma had laid years upon him that were not supposed to be there, and the awe on his face whenever Altea presented some new marvel, however simple, was a joy to behold. He was always handsome, but his wide-eyed smile made him even more so, and she couldn’t tear her eyes off him. Her heart felt fit to burst with affection.

They crossed the bridge from the landing docks to the city, Lake Phaedranaq sparkling under the light from Altea’s twin suns, boats dotting the glimmering surface, the shores beyond a vivid, joyous green. That view soon gave way to buildings and tree-lined boulevards, colourful market stalls and awnings and the hustle and bustle of everyday Altean life, and the architecture around them… glass domes, spires, towers, balconies, rooftop gardens – things so familiar Allura didn’t even need to look at them, but that allowed her to study Shiro, and there was almost a hunger then, a need to be out there, living everything he saw for himself. And Allura would take him. She’d show him everything Suravinila could give them, and then everything else Altea could offer.

“Amazing,” he breathed, as the speeder took an incline. She noticed him peer past her, through the windscreen, and her heart was full again.

“The Castle of Lions,” she explained. “Home.”

She allowed herself a moment to drink it in, the sight of the castle’s five spires almost making her cry. It was such a relief to be home, on Altean soil, with Father and Coran and everyone else so close… and Shiro was there. She bit her lip. All her family, together in one place.

She caught Shiro’s eyes, and now he looked nervous. It made her frown slightly, but then the speeder halted, she looked out of the window and her heart sang. She bolted from the speeder, gathering her skirts so she could dash across the courtyard, heedless of the impropriety. In that moment, she wasn’t Her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Altea, Ambassador to Earth, and he was not His Majesty King Alfor of Altea, Sovereign of the Fala System, Paladin of the Red Lion. She was just Allura, and he was just Alfor, and she threw her arms around her father’s neck, screwing her eyes shut tight against tears of joy.

Alfor lifted her as if she weighed nothing and spun her around, laughing, before setting her down, cupping her face and kissing her forehead.

“Welcome back, dearest heart,” he said, and Allura’s face felt sore from the immensity of her smile.

“I’m so glad to be back, Father,” she answered. And then she remembered. She turned around, to where Shiro was now standing awkwardly (bless him) by the speeder. “Shiro!” she called, beckoning him over.

He bowed when he got there, it was adorable, and she couldn’t help stifling a brief giggle, which made his ears turn red.

“Ah, so this is the young man I’ve heard so much about,” Alfor said. He looked Shiro up and down, appraisingly, and Allura grew slightly suspicious.

“Takashi Shirogane. It’s an honour to meet you, Sir,” he said, holding his hand out. Alfor looked at it.

“It’s an Earth greeting, Father,” Allura whispered, trying not to laugh again. “You put your hand in his and shake it.”

Alfor coughed. “Of course,” he muttered, nodding, doing exactly as she’d told him. “Welcome to Altea, then, Takashi.”

Allura moved to Shiro’s side, slipping her hand into his – his left – and squeezing warmly, feeling the tug of his quintessence on hers and allowing them to mix, just a little.

“It’s great to be here, Sir,” he said. “Allura’s told me so much about it, it’s incredible to finally be here where I can see everything for myself.” He was so sincere, she wanted to kiss him, it was so hard not to. Alfor, at last, seemed mildly impressed.

“Very good news. Ah, Allura… I went ahead and organised a banquet for tonight… I trust you aren’t too tired from travelling to attend?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion stronger than ever, but Shiro simply laughed.

“That was the least tiring journey I’ve ever been on,” he said. “We don’t have instant travel back on Earth.”

“Ah, yes, Allura did mention how… _quaint_ Terran technology is…”

Allura hitched on a smile that was slightly more forced than the rest of them. “Yes, well, we’ll still need to freshen up! We shall see you later, Father!” And with that, she dragged Shiro away, wondering what exactly her father’s game was.

.

“So, a banquet, huh?”

Allura had guided him through the castle corridors to her own room. Shiro’s luggage, he was pleased to see, was already there, but still packed, whoever had brought it clearly unsure on what to do with it. She sighed.

“Father’s showing off, he wouldn’t have done it if you weren’t here,” she mumbled, stalking across the room to flop on her bed.

Something was niggling at Shiro’s thoughts, and it took him a moment to place it. Then he realised: he’d felt no weird energy exchange with Alfor. He’d assumed that it was just an Altean thing, since Allura did it all the time, but with Alfor there had been nothing at all, just a normal handshake like with any human. He sat down on the bed next to her, something that made her sit up abruptly.

“I’ve just realised something,” she said, sounding deathly serious.

“What?” he asked, not liking the way his stomach plummeted as his mind began violently spinning the Worst Case Scenario wheel.

She turned to him, with a smirk that was absolutely wicked and eyes that burned hot, and slowly ran a hand up his leg.

“I just realised… that I _finally_ have you in my own bed,” she purred. It took Shiro’s mind a moment to reboot itself. Oh. _Oh_. The tone of her voice lit a fire in the pit of his stomach, and he raised his own hand to run his fingers along her jawline, brushing her neck.

“Well, if you’ve wanted it this long, Princess…” he murmured, lips now tantalisingly close to her ear and voice pitched low, and he loved the way her eyelids fluttered and her breath hitched. “…maybe you should take advantage of it.”

That was all it took to get her on him, pushing him down to the bed and straddling him, hungry lips pressed to his own. He wound his arms around her, pulling her closer, flush against him, and he cursed the layers of clothes between them. He let his hands follow her curves, down the length of her back to cup her ass, and he felt her own hand go between them and seek out the hem of his t-shirt, diving beneath it to get to bare skin. It was her that pulled back first, taking a greedy gulp of breath, eyes perfectly predatory and he _loved_ it.

“You need to be naked,” she growled, sitting up, running her hands down his still-clothed chest. His own hands went to her thighs, still trapped under her skirts.

“So do you,” he replied, and she laughed, breathless, unclasping her cloak and tossing it haphazardly away. Tugging on the collar of his t-shirt, she coaxed him up and practically tore it off him, sighing happily once he was bare-chested. She pulled him into another kiss, this one less desperate, but just as fiery, and let her hands wander as they pleased. His fingers found the clasp of her dress, one of those fiddly Altean hidden zippers, and quickly undid it, spreading his hands across the smooth, hot skin of her back. She pulled off her sleeves, allowing him to tug her dress down, revealing what passed for a bra on Altea, and God, he just wanted everything _off_ her already…

That was when someone knocked on the door. Insistently.

Allura froze, pulling away with wide eyes. “ _Quiznak_!” she hissed.

“Ignore it, they might go away,” he whispered back.

“I’m coming in, Princess!” came the cheerful call through the door, and Allura reared back off him so abruptly she fell on the floor with a yelp.

“Shit, Allura?”

“I’m fine!” she squeaked, scrabbling to her feet, her hair a mess, holding her dress up. Shiro remembered he was naked from the waist up and harbouring the beginnings of a hard-on, and cast around for his shirt.

He didn’t find it before the door slid open, before Allura could reach it.

“Princess, it’s such a joy to- oh.”

A man with vivid ginger hair and an extremely impressive moustache stood there, eyes slowly going between the bare-shouldered, dishevelled Allura and Shiro, who quickly crossed his legs. The man raised an eyebrow, his moustache twitching as Shiro could feel his face burn.

“I can see I’ve _interrupted_ something,” he said. He took a theatrically obvious step back from the door. “I shall leave you two to it. _Very_ sorry.”

And with that he was gone again, leaving the two of them still frozen. Finally, Allura moved and closed the door with a quiet, but still audible squeak.

“Well that… happened,” Shiro said.

She turned back to him and letting out a long, exasperated sigh. “This is so unfair,” she muttered, stalking across the room and plopping herself back down on the bed. He chuckled.

“It’s fine, there’s always later,” he said, leaning over to kiss her shoulder. She huffed, but couldn’t resist smiling, attempting to hide it by leaning over and kissing him in turn.

* * *

Never had Shiro been more relieved that Commander Holt had told him to pack a tuxedo. “You’re going to be a guest of royalty!” he’d said when Shiro had asked what he should pack, one evening at the Holts’. Colleen had vehemently agreed, and even picked out a tux for him. He finished combing back his hair took a step back to study himself in the mirror. Not too shabby.

“How do I look?”

He turned, and it felt like a sledgehammer had ploughed straight into his chest. Her hair was half-up, half spilling over her shoulders, held in place by a comb that glittered with purple crystals. Her dress, a similar deep, rich purple that, he realised, matched his bowtie, hugged her figure beautifully, her back and sides bare but veiled by a cape that poured from her shoulders in a sheer cascade, and he longed to touch that expanse of warm, glorious skin. She spun, and her skirt followed her, flowing around her legs in a luxurious blossom. All he could do was gape.

She looked him up and down and seemed to approve of him just as much as he did of her, because she bit her lip and her cheek markings glowed softly.

“You look… _amazing_ ,” he breathed. She laughed, light and airy like silver bells.

“As do you,” she replied. She straightened his lapels, and Shiro recognised it as an excuse to get her hands on his chest. “I am very happy you brought this clothing.”

“What, this thing?” He laughed. “I look drab compared to you.”

“You most certainly do not,” she said vehemently, planting another kiss on his lips and honestly, Shiro could have gotten drunk on her kisses. “Although I can’t wait to take it off you later.”

He grinned, trailing his fingers up the exposed skin of her side, enjoying her delicate shiver.

“Come now, we have to be somewhere!” she said, giggling, and he let her lead him back out into the castle and towards wherever the banquet would be held.

* * *

Allura felt like the luckiest woman in the universe that evening. It was the greatest injustice of her life that she had to tear her eyes off the man at her side to make small talk with her father’s friends. Shiro had never looked as handsome as this, with his formal attire as dark as the night sky and his hair slicked back, all broad shoulders and tapered waist and everything that would make anyone in the system and beyond faint. And she had him all to herself. The Ancients had certainly smiled upon her.

Not being able to simply abscond with him back to her room was torture, but she would weather it. She greeted everyone, glad to see them, embracing them warmly and introducing them to Shiro one by one: Aunt Trigel, Uncle Gyrgan, Uncle Blaytz, Coran (again, and in a far less compromising way than earlier)… They all seemed quite intrigued by him.

“So, Earth?” Trigel asked, her natural curiosity coming out. She’d never, as far as Allura knew, gone beyond the Seven Stars of Thalarassia.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Shiro seemed a little taken aback by all the attention, slightly flushed.

“And you’ve captured the heart of our young Princess, hm?”

Allura groaned. Of course Blaytz would talk about that.

“’Captured’ doesn’t seem like the right word, Sir,” Shiro replied. “And if anyone was doing the capturing, it was definitely Allura.” He looked at her, wearing that boyish smile that made her feel like the centre of the universe, and her markings burned. Blaytz laughed.

“Oh, he’s a charmer, this one! Maybe even your _arln_ -”

Shiro’s blush became decidedly deeper, even as Trigel elbowed Blaytz in the ribs to shut him up. Allura’s eyes widened as panic coursed through her.

“Let him alone, you!” Trigel admonished, glancing at Allura apologetically.

Allura took advantage of the moment to steer Shiro away, and she noticed that someone else had arrived, a welcome distraction from whatever question Shiro might think to ask about Blaytz’s hastily silenced suggestion.

“He’s brought Lotor with him…” she muttered, and Shiro raised an eyebrow.

“Lotor?” he asked. She couldn’t stop a sigh from escaping, even as she mentally thanked Lotor for showing up. It was not a conversation she was ready to have.

“A childhood friend,” she said, but couldn’t continue, because both Zarkon and his son had noticed them.

“Allura,” Zarkon greeted, giving her a nod in his curt Galra way. “It is good to see you’ve returned.”

She could feel Lotor’s eyes burning into her, his gaze was so intense. “It’s good to be home, Uncle Zarkon,” she said. “This is Takashi Shirogane, from Earth. Shiro, this is Emperor Zarkon of Daibazaal and his son, Prince Lotor.”

Shiro bowed again. Zarkon didn’t move, but then Allura hadn’t expected him to. Introducing Shiro with no title was telling enough for him, and she didn’t need to look at Lotor to know he’d raised his eyebrows in the most Altean way possible.

“Earth? You’ve come far,” Zarkon said.

“Only because Allura brought me with her,” Shiro said with a brief chuckle.

“Why so late, Uncle?” Allura asked, steering the conversation away from any of Earth’s technological shortcomings.

“A distress signal, nothing we couldn’t handle with the Black Lion,” Lotor explained breezily.

“‘We’,” Zarkon repeated with a pointed look at his son, and Lotor shrugged, a picture of fake innocence. With that, Zarkon took his leave, and left Lotor with them.

“It was interesting meeting you, Takashi Shirogane,” he said, nodding graciously as he followed his father. Allura let out a groan of relief.

“What was all that about?” Shiro asked. “I feel like… I was being quietly judged.”

She winced. “The Galra have… _antiquated_ ideas about hierarchy, let’s say.”

Shiro didn’t look impressed. “So… elitism?”

“To put it bluntly.”

“This is going to be a fun evening,” he said darkly, but she scoffed. She turned him slightly to face her, adjusting what he’d called his “bow tie” and smoothing out his lapels again. _Ancients_ , his chest was so perfect.

“We’re going to enjoy it,” she said. “I get to show you off and make everyone jealous of me.”

Shiro laughed. “I think it’s the other way around.”

“Nonsense,” she said, glancing around before pecking him on the lips.

* * *

Dinner had been… an _experience_ , for sure. The cutlery had been easy to navigate (though he had to wonder about the fact it was sporks), but the conversations less so. Shiro had found himself between Allura and Coran, with, of all people, Lotor right in front of him, and he’d been lost. Earth, it seemed, had nothing to offer on the universal stage, and the universe barely seemed concerned with it at all. And Lotor’s gaze had been piercing through the whole meal, fixed on him, hawk-like and disconcerting, and Shiro didn’t like it.

Thank God that was over, though, and he could focus on more important things. Like, at the moment, being a wallflower as his girlfriend danced with her father. The music was almost familiar, like a waltz, and Allura looked positively radiant in her gown, a fairytale princess.

“Admiring the view?”

Shiro whipped round, more sharply than he’d have wanted. Lotor simply sipped his drink, a calculatedly neutral expression on his handsome but decidedly pointed face.

“I wouldn’t put it _that_ way,” he said, keeping his voice civil. Lotor chuckled.

“I suppose you wouldn’t, no,” he said, and Shiro fought down the urge to bristle. Lotor had a way of making him feel uncomfortable in his own skin in exactly the opposite way to how Allura made him feel greater than the sum of his parts.

“So, Daibazaal… what’s that like?” Shiro asked, attempting polite conversation for Allura’s sake.

“I take it you haven’t heard of it?” Lotor said. “I’m disappointed, but unsurprised. Earth is rather… out of the way, shall we say?”

Shiro took a deep breath through his nose, but before he could say anything, Lotor was speaking again.

“Your arm… it’s intriguing. Altean, I see.”

Shiro went suddenly cold. He felt his face turn to stone. “It’s how Allura and I met, actually,” he said, unable to keep his voice from becoming as chill as his veins. Lotor’s lip twitched.

“A charity case, are you?” he asked, finally allowing a smirk to spread across his face. Shiro’s hackles rose, and it took every ounce of self-control to not grab Lotor’s collar and get in his face, despite the full head of height Lotor had on him.

“I’m not the one being passive-aggressive at a party,” he said. Lotor’s eyes narrowed. A tense silence lengthened, taut and unpredictable.

“I’m not the one full of her stolen quintessence,” Lotor finally replied, low and dangerous and Shiro had no idea what that even _meant_.

“Shiro, come and dance!”

Allura’s arm slipped around his and she dragged him away, over to the centre of the immense hall, where the dancefloor was.

“You know I can’t dance Altean dances, right?” he mumbled, trying not to look at his feet.

“Of course,” she said. “I just wanted to get you away from Lotor, and back where you belong.”

“On the dancefloor?” he asked, puzzled. She laughed merrily, winding her arms around his neck and leading him in a slow circle as the music started up.

“No, in my arms,” she said, as if any other thought was the silliest thing in the world, and Shiro could feel his face burning. He ignored Lotor’s frankly mystifying words in favour of allowing the strange, wonderful sensation to course through him again.

* * *

Sneaking out of a vaguely official banquet wasn’t something Allura had done in many years. She usually found enough strength to see them through to the end, but then… most banquets hadn’t involved Shiro.

She pulled him down a hallway, trying to stifle her giggles, happily letting him crowd her against a wall and steal kisses – her lips, her jaw, her throat. She sighed when his hands ran along her sides, warm skin and _dermistine_ on her bare skin making her shiver. In response, she reached around, grasping his buttocks, squeezing, and that made him chuckle, a deep, rolling rumble that rippled through her like thunder.

She teased his face up again, into a kiss, deep, hungry, more tongue than lips, and the way he answered with the same hunger made her knees go weak. Shiro had a way of making her fall apart and rebuilding her anew every time.

“Come,” she breathed, taking his hand again, leading him back to her room and wrenching him inside. She practically tore her dress off, casting it aside, and it was astoundingly good for her self-esteem to watch Shiro have to pause in unbuttoning his shirt to stare at her. She laughed, loosening her hair, letting it spill over her shoulders, and she could have sworn she’d heard an audible swallow from him.

She pushed him back. He let himself be pushed, sitting when his legs met the edge of the bed, and she watched him, just for a moment, just to take him in: hair a mess, shirt unbuttoned, his hardness now obvious. She licked her lips, pushed him back on the bed, and pulled him into another deep, needy kiss.

.

Before Allura, it had been rare to get a night of sleep that wasn’t fitful. _After_ Allura, however, his nights were more restful than he ever hoped they would be. He wasn’t sure whether that was because of some magic she brought with her, or simply because she enjoyed wearing him out constantly, but he was glad of it. It allowed him to wake up slowly, at his own pace, and enjoy the moments when he could watch Allura sleep. Sometimes, she’d be curled up like a dormouse, cover right up to her nose, looking adorable. Other times, she be a mess, mouth open, drooling slightly, with the biggest bedhead that ever existed, which was also adorable.

The morning, it was the latter. It didn’t stop him from drowsily kissing her forehead, which creased ever-so-slightly as she stirred.

“Morning,” he mumbled, and she snuggled closer, burying her face in his chest.

“Jus’ sleep,” she babbled, half-muffled against his skin.

“Not gonna argue with that,” he said under his breath, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. It was warm in the bed with her, the sheets so deliciously soft it was incredible, and she was there, solid, beautiful, in his arms, one leg hooked over his in sleepy possession. And there it was, the gentle trickle of whatever this was they exchanged. It was bliss.

It wasn’t to last. There was a knock, decidedly less insistent than Coran’s from the day before, but still very much there. Allura let out a deep groan of intense frustration.

“I hate everything,” she muttered, scooching across the bed and nearly falling off the edge. Shiro sighed and did the same, getting up and heading to his suitcase for his sweats. She followed him, rubbing her eyes and yawning, and snatched the aging _AC/DC_ t-shirt he picked up.

“You do know I need that, right?” he asked archly. She shook her head.

“My city now,” she mumbled, her bedhead exploding from the collar like a snowy firework as she tugged the shirt on, and Shiro regretted ever letting her hang out with Keith and his friends. She padded over to the other side of the room and pulled on panties. And Shiro had to stare. The t-shirt, baggy on him, practically engulfed her, slipping off her shoulder tantalisingly. Her long legs were still bare, and his hands ached to touch. It didn’t help that that was his t-shirt she was wearing, and it made something possessive click inside him, something that made his heart swell and his cock say a hearty ‘good morning’.

He quickly pulled on a fresh pair of boxer briefs and his sweatpants, starting slightly when he felt a hand on his waistband.

“Hello,” he said, and she smiled impishly, ignoring the person at the door in favour of wrapping her arms around him and kissing him languidly. It tasted of morning breath, but Shiro couldn’t bring himself to care. The very air around him felt empty when she pulled away to open the door.

She froze. So did Shiro.

King Alfor raised an eyebrow, looked at his daughter, then at him. The beard did wonders in hiding his expression, and Shiro felt like a deer in headlights, trapped, and suddenly mortally afraid.

“I take it you had fun, then?” he said. Shiro made a strangled noise, feeling the colour rise dangerously hot in his cheeks. Allura squeaked.

“Father!” She cried, askance, punching him in the arm. Alfor merely laughed.

“I came to ask whether you wanted breakfast,” he said. “Although perhaps I should simply have had it sent instead of coming to ask.”

Shiro felt like he was having a stroke.

“We’ll… be there soon…” Allura croaked, and Alfor, thank God, took his leave, allowing Allura to shut the door. “I swear they’re doing it on purpose!”

“I’m dying, Allura,” Shiro said faintly.

“Please don’t die, beloved, I’d be terribly sad if you did.” She marched over to the bathroom that she’d shown him the night before, and looked at him over her shoulder. “Coming?” she asked.

He looked her up and down, looked at her smooth legs and tempting smile and burning gaze, and grinned.

“Damn right I will be,” he muttered, making her laugh.

* * *

Allura, it seemed, had already decided an entire itinerary. She had a tablet – which she explained were called “datapads” on Altea – and had shown him a list of places they absolutely _had_ to visit. He’d raised his eyebrows at her.

“I can’t read Altean yet,” he said, and she had the grace to look sheepish.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “But… you’ll see what they’re like when we get there! You’ll love them!”

“Of course I will,” he said casually. “I’m seeing them with you.”

It was fun to be smooth when it made the tips of her ears turn red and her markings light up like Christmas. She cleared her throat, half-hidden behind her datapad.

“Well then, let’s… let’s be off!”

Alfor was in the main hall when they arrived, with an Altean Shiro hadn’t seen before, a tall, redheaded, broad-shouldered woman with a beauty mark. She stood to attention when Allura approached, her hand placed on her chest in some form of Altean salute.

“Ah, daughter!” Alfor said. “I need to speak with you…”

He pulled her gently to the side, out of earshot, leaving Shiro alone with the Altean… soldier? She was definitely military of some kind, just from her bearing and uniform. He couldn’t tell the rank from her pips, but she’d made officer, at least. Shiro waited, hands in his pockets, and he could feel the woman staring at him. He turned to look at her.

“Can I help you?” he asked. Her lip curled.

“The Princess has always had a habit of consorting with her _inferiors_ ,” she said distastefully. Shiro stared at her.

“Excuse me?”

“A leech from a primitive planet, thousands of parsecs away from anywhere important… Truly, the Princess must be mad.”

Shiro turned cold.

“And to steal her quintessence like a common thief… Nothing better come of this, to degrade the royal bloodline with such _filth_ would be a stain on the glory of Altea.”

It was familiar. He’d heard this all before, a hundred times, from people like her. His ears rang, his heart pounded, and the primordial fear he remembered from the first time someone had yelled at him for things he couldn’t help came rushing back.

“Captain Hira!”

The soldier – Hira, apparently – started and whipped around to stare at Alfor.

“S-Sire?”

Alfor looked thunderous, his face dark with fury. “I would ask for an explanation, but I doubt you could give me one I would find satisfactory,” he said, his voice as cold and unyielding as a tombstone. Shiro wasn’t often afraid of other people, but Alfor… there was authority there, and terrifying authority, at that.

“Shiro?”

He took a deep breath and turned around to look at Allura, immediately feeling as if everything was softer in the world… but it wasn’t, was it? She took his hand, shot a look full of pure and utter venom at Hira, and led him away, down a corridor.

“Is everything alright?” she asked once they were alone and out of earshot. He sighed. He could lie. He could say that everything was fine, she shouldn’t worry, but it wasn’t fine. It wasn’t. It was too painful, too nasty, too… _familiar_.

“Honestly? No.” He ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell was up with her?!”

She scowled darkly, her lips set together in an angry line. “She… is part of a minority that brings shame to Altea. Despite our millennia of space-travel, of exploration, of friendship with other races… some seem to think we are better than others.” She let out a sigh of her own, her shoulders sagging. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“It’s a wake-up call, I guess,” he said. “Nowhere is that different to Earth.”

“There are people like that on Earth?” Allura asked, tilting her head with a pained expression. He shrugged, sighing again.

“I was in a war, Allura. People can be ugly and cruel. You just keep going.” He clenched his right fist, bringing it up to rub the back of his hand. “Lotor was subtle, at least. She just _went_ for it. I just… everyone’s making me feel like it won’t last. Like this is fleeting. They talk about something called ‘quintessence’ and theft and I don’t understand any of this.”

Allura’s eyes widened and she bit her lip, nervous all of a sudden. “You don’t… know what quintessence is?”

“Should I?”

“I need to tell you something, then.”

Shiro stiffened. What did she mean? His heart began to ache, anxiety already beginning to rise, unbidden, uncontrollable, lapping at his throat like dark water he could barely keep his head above it. She took his hand, and led him away, and sat down in an alcove. When he remained standing, she gave him a puzzled look.

“Shiro?”

“What do you need to tell me?” he asked, wincing at the way his voice broke ever-so-slightly. Allura patting the seat beside her.

“It’s not bad,” she said. “But… I feel it might be necessary so we understand we’re on the same page.”

He sat, wary, studying her face, but she was unreadable. It took her a moment, a deep breath, before she continued to speak.

“In the universe there is energy. A special energy. The energy that baffled your scientists when we first allowed them to study our technology, that annoyed them when we said it was all ‘magic’. Everything in the universe has it… it’s called quintessence. Every living thing is imbued with it.”

“That sounds a little crazy,” Shiro said with an uncertain chuckle, and she smiled slightly.

“I suppose it does… but it would make sense. Earth has yet to unlock quintessence manipulation, and so have yet to unlock space travel as we know it here…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But that’s… not the only thing.

“Here, on Altea, we have… a concept. It’s important to us. We have many different words for the ways we love people, and I don’t think any of them would translate well at all, but I’ll try to explain them as best I can…

“Coran and my father have been in love for… for a very long time, but before Coran, there was my mother. My father and mother had a kind of love that was… beyond explanation. Something profound and beautiful and something any Altean wishes for. When quintessence mingles perfectly and you can’t figure out where you end and the other begins… It only comes once in one’s life and… When someone is so dear to you that could take on the universe for them… we call them our _arlnath_.”

“ _Arlnath_?” Shiro repeated. Allura let out the briefest gasp.

“We… we don’t use the term lightly,” she said. “But…” She took Shiro’s hands, both the real and the one she’d given him, and all of a sudden, Shiro felt something. It was the strange sensation, back again, alien (and he supposed that was fitting) but not unpleasant. A tingle, a spark, not intense, but there, running through his fingertips.

“Lean forward,” Allura murmured, and he did. She pressed her forehead to his and, suddenly, it was as if floodgates had opened. It was like a storm, a beautiful, breath-taking storm. It was intense, all-encompassing, beyond anything he’d ever felt before. It was a surge of energy, as if he and Allura were making a circuit, and it felt, beyond all explanation, like _her_ , soft and warm and strong and everything he loved about her, but within _him_. Two different sensations were mingling together, merging currents at a meeting of river and sea, horizon and sky.

When she pulled back, she took the energy with her, and he felt bereft, enough to let out a gasp. She smiled.

“You are the only one I’ve ever shared my quintessence with,” she said. “And I never want to share it with anyone ever again.”

“Allura…”

She pressed her lips to his, gentle, waiting for him to answer. And answer he did, pressing back, deepening the kiss, pulling her closer to him.

“You,” she murmured against his lips, “are my _arlnath_ , Takashi.”

The way she said his name made him shiver. “Allura, I… I love you.”

Her smile was like sunshine, breaking through the clouds. “And I love you,” she replied.

That was more than enough for him.

* * *

The private jetty was perfect, far enough away from the eager crowds to be quiet, but still with a perfect view of Lake Phaedranaq. Not that Allura was looking at the lake all that much, not when Shiro was beside her, looking exceptionally handsome in the mingling light of the setting suns and the rising Dancers.

“Have I told you how handsome you look?” she asked wistfully. He turned to look at her, blushing slightly.

“I, uh… well, you have now,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. She chuckled, stepping closer, pressing against him with a hand on his waist.

“We need to get you into Altean clothes more often,” she mused, trailing her other hand down one of the front seams. He looked good in most things, but, and perhaps this was simply because it was _Altean_ and made Allura feel a tad _possessive_ , the Altean tunic and leggings flattered him beyond coherent thought. It showed off everything it was supposed to, and she found that extremely enjoyable.

Shiro opened his mouth to say something, but she hushed him. Finally, the light of the twin suns had disappeared enough that the light of the Dancers began to paint the waters of the lake silver. Shiro followed where her finger was pointing.

The water began to glow, like a night sky filled with stars, tiny specks of light floating delicately to the surface in an intricate dance as ancient as the lake itself. They swirled in currents of their own making, until they breached the lake, meeting the evening air. And once they were out of the water, they spiralled upwards, corkscrewing to the sky, columns of tiny lanterns.

“Whoa,” Shiro breathed, and Allura smiled. She’d seen it so many times, more than she could count, and while it always filled her with joy, to share the _Liritani_ with Shiro was a more precious gift than she’d ever imagined.

The _Liritani_ rose, higher and higher, until they mingled in the sky in a glorious, phosphorescent cloud. They twirled and danced, a huge flock twisting into hundreds of different, beautiful, amorphous shapes, glittering in the night. And then the dance ended, the _Liritani_ dispersing, settling into the forests around the lake to begin their life cycle anew.

She looked at Shiro’s face. He looked blown away, and it filled Allura with joy. She turned his face towards hers, his eyes twinkling like stars, and kissed him, long and hard and full of promise. When they pulled away from each other, to her surprise, Shiro took her hands and pressed his forehead to hers. His quintessence was slow to move at first, sluggish from the dormancy of its owner, but it soon flowed strong, and hers met it, mingled with it.

“I love you, _arlnath_ ,” she said, because she wanted to say it all the time.

“I love you too,” he answered. They both smiled, sharing the deep certainty of a bond unbreakable.


End file.
